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Fisherman
"If yer wantin’ to catch a Stirpike, you’ll have to give up a finger, ‘cause that’s all what they’ll take for bait. I sure as Taal ain’t givin’ up no more o’ mine!" Basic (Core) Fishermen seek the bounty of the sea. The many villages on Nordland’s coastline are home to countless Fishermen. These hearty souls brave the Sea of Claws in small craft, despite the constant threat of pirates and raiders from Norsca. There are also some fishing communities inland, by lakes and rivers, though these villages also pursue agriculture. Fishermen are an independent lot as a matter of course. They work in small crews, and when on the water every decision is their own. This spirited nature is one reason why dockside taverns are always unruly. Note: During character creation, if you take Common Knowledge (the Wasteland), your character can be from the great port of Marienburg at your option. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire or the Wasteland), Consume Alcohol or Haggle, Navigation or Trade (Merchant), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Row, Sail, Speak Language (Reikspiel or Norse), Swim Talents: Hardy or Savvy, Orientation or Street Fighting Trappings: Fish Hook and Line, Spear Career Entries Boatman, Peasant Career Exits Marine, Merchant, Militiaman, Navigator, Seaman A Day in the Life Fishing is difficult to regulate, in part because of its popularity among casual anglers, but also due to the inaccuracy of aquatic boundaries. Also, confiscated fish tend to spoil before they can be sold. Therefore, fishermen are not represented by guilds in the Old World, and this provides incentive enough for independent-minded folk to take up the profession. The closest thing to a fisherman’s guild is a “fishing collective” found in many Estalian towns. Its chief purpose is to match crewmen with boats each morning, but sometimes the collective also mediates disputes over contested waters. Coastal fishermen are awake and dropping their nets long before the sun rises. By afternoon, they’re enjoying a pint of ale in the tavern, having sold their daily catch to dockside smoking houses and fishmongers. Inland fishermen tend to work independently, or with their families. In a typical river fishing family, the father and eldest son spend their day on the river, the women remain at market gutting and selling the catch, and the younger sons run back-and-forth delivering the wriggling fish. Lake fishermen employ a mixture of coastal and river techniques. Strange Fish of the Old World In addition to the popular cod, salmon, carp, herring, trout and eel, hundreds of other strange fish populate the dark waters of the Old World. The following are a few examples: Aaurati: An elusive fish that shimmers like gold beneath the waves. More than one man has allegedly drowned after mistaking an Aaurati for submerged treasure. Augas: Has a third eye on top of its head for spotting predators. Bromma: Flying fish, can rotate its head. Hides from predators by diving to the bottom and stirring up clouds of silt on the riverbed. Congère: Bretonnian eel. Incredibly powerful for its small size. Can tear other fish apart with ease. Gladius: Large, spear-headed fish. Can pierce the hulls of small boats if its young are endangered. Mulus: Delicious fish, eaten only by nobles. Becomes multicoloured when it dies. Two-bearded Mulus is the tastiest variety. Polypus: Large fish with strong, clawed arms. Can leap up and knock a man from his boat. Grips its prey and gnaws voraciously until sated, then discards the carrion. Rhombus: Slow, obese fish with short hairs on its back. Settles into riverbeds downstream of cities and feeds on the sewage. Sea Scorpion: Tiny fish with a scorpion tail. Kills small fish with poison and eats them. Stings large predators on the head to disorient them. Tauras: Aggressive, horned fish. Mates fight to the death after spawning.